Slide for drapery hardware installation



Feb. 18, F969 4,, ZNA O SK, 3,427,679

SLIDE FOR DRAPERY HARDWARE INSTALLATION Filed Jan. 8, 1968 HENRY ZNAM/ROWSKI INVENTOR ATTYS.

United States Patent 3,427,679 SLIDE FOR DRAPERY HARDWARE INSTALLATION I HenryZnamirowski, Ellicott City, Md., assignor to Eastern Products Corporation, a corporation of Maryland Filed Jan. 8, 1968, Ser. No. 696,341 US. Cl. 16-93 i Int. Cl. Fd 13/02; A47h 15/00, 5/00 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF DISCLOSURE A slide for a drapery hardware installation which includes a cord locking lug which is integrallyformed from the wall of the slide, preferably the back wall, andwhich is bent so as to project backwardly substantially in the plane of the bottom wall of the slide to facilitate adjustment. Y

jerking during use. It is still another object to provide a drapery slide which shows at a glance from the front of the slide that the cord is engaged thereby distinguishing the construction from prior slides in which visual observation is difficult and in which it has been necessary to feel the back of the slide to determine whether a cord is or is not engaged. It is, finally, 'an object to provide a drapery slide having a cord locking lug which, notwithstanding its advantages, may be easily and cheaply formed at a cost no greater than the cost of forming lugs of conventional design. Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the attached detailed description and upon reference to the. drawings in which: FIGURE 1 is .a perspective front view. of a, drapery slide constructed in accordance with the present invention as viewed from a lower level and with the rod shown fragmentarily; r e t ('FIG. 2 isa backv view of the slide and rod of FIG. 1; 'FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective showing the lug and notch construction somewhat enlarged;

FIG. 4 is an end view looking along the line FIG. 5 is a fragmentary :top view tlookin-g along the line 5- 5 in FIG. 4; v I 7 FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary end view showing the grasping of the lower end of the loop of cord by the fingertips.

While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it will be understood that I do not intend to be limited by the particular embodiment shown but, intend on the contrary to cover the various alternative and equivalent constructions included with in the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Turning now to the drawings, there is disclosed a slide generally indicated at 10 mounted upon a drapery rod 11 of hollow construction having a longitudinal slot =12. The slide 10 is formed with a back wall 15 and a bottom wall 16, the latter having a horizontal carrier 17 along the front edge with openings 18 for insertion of drapery hooks.

For supporting the slide with respect to the rod, the

3,427,679 Patented Feb. 18, 1969 slide has, secured to its back wall 15, a pair of spaced runners 21, 22 which are preferably formed of nylon or the like fitted in the slot for free movement of the slide under the urging of a cord 25.

In carrying out the invention a cord locking lug is pro vided integral with the slide, anchored .at the corner junction between the back and bottom walls of the slide and extending rearwardly therefrom flanked by notches at a higher level to confine a downwardly extending loop of cord which projects below the level of the bottom wall. More specifically in accordance with the invention, the lug is integrally formed of T shape in one of the walls, preferably the back wall, and with the central leg of the T bent flush with the bottom wall. Thus, referring to the drawing, a lug 30 is provided having arms 31, 32 and a central leg 33 which is integrally connected at the region of the corner junction 34 bet-ween the back wall 15 and the bottom wall 16.'Flanking the lug 30 on each side and at a higher level than the lug are cord supports or notches 41, 42. The portion 43 of the loop passing through notch 41 can be considered the entry portion while the portion 44, passing through notch 42, can be considered the exit portion, defining the bottom 45 of the loop between them. To hold the cord captive in the notches 41, 42, the notches may be provided with integral ears 46, 47 and 48, 49, respectively, which overlie the cord but which may be cocked at an angle to facilitate threading.

In the preferred form of the invention the locking lug 30 is formed integral with, and struck out of, the back wall 15 of the slide and bent downwardly from the back wall by an angle of 90 so that the lug lies substantially in the plane of the bottom wall 16. As shown in FIG. 6, this has the advantage that the cord projects a distance d downwardly below the level of the bottom wall, which distance is slightly greater than the diameter of the cord, providing sufiicient purchase so that the bottom of the loop may be easily grasped between the thumb and forefinger, as shown, whenever necessary to remove the cord from the lug for adjustment purposes. It will be apparent that without departing from the invention the lug may be integrally formed in the bottom wall instead of the 1 rear wall and bent 180 to a rearwardly extending position. While the resulting opening may have some advantage as a recess to facilitate taking hold of the cord, the alternative construction is not preferred because of ap pearance considerations.

Using the present construction removal is particularly easy since the usual wedging effect between the cord and locking lug has been intentionally avoided. Thus there is no possibility that application of excessive or repeated tugs on the cord will cause the cord to be tightly wedged into position under the locking lug, so tightly as to require a prying tool or pair of pliers for removal as is so often the case with cord locking lugs of conventional design. Nevertheless the locking engagement brought about by this non-wedging construction is entirely adequate to the point that excessive and repeated pulls and jerks maybe applied to the cord without causing the cord to be released and without causing the cord to creep" in its locked position. The lateral edges of the lug should preferably be kept in the raw state resulting from the punching operation, i.e. sharp, for maximum gripping effect. In short, the present slide and lug construction achieves the desired combination of positive holding and easy removal under all possible and extreme conditions of use.

Moreover, by anchoring the lug at the region 34 and by arranging the lug in a rearwardly projecting position, the lower end 45 of the loop is not only easily grasped but easily visible from the front of the rod. Thus the user or installer can observe by casual observation that the cord is properly anchored. This is to be contrasted with conventional slide constructions in which the cord in is lugengaging position is not visible and it is necessary either to awkwardly attempt to peer around the back of the rod or to determine by feel whether the cord has been strung around the lug.

While the invention has been described in connection with a lug which extends rearwardly from the junction 34, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the lug, while extending flush with the bottom wall of the slide, may, if desired, be angled slightly, either upwardly or downwardly from this horizontal, rearwardly-extending position, provided that the cord projects below the bottom wall, without sacrificing the features of the invention. In such event the use and cord-locking action is the same as that previously described.

The present lug arrangement is particularly advantageous to the user of the drapery hardware who is usually not the same person as the installer but who may have occasion to adjust the slides from time to time, for example, incident to cleaning and re-installation of the draperies and without benefit of any mechanical knowledge of the construction. Since the loops which engage the slides are clearly visible, all mystery as to the stringing of the cord is removed and it is the natural thing for the user to simply grasp the bottom of the loop with the fingertips, as described, sliding the loop in one direction or the other thereby to adjust the relative position of the slide in its open and closed positions.

In the following claims it will be understood that the term corner need not be limited to a sharp rectangular bend but refers generally to the transition between the back wall and the bottom wall. The term runners" includes any means for supporting the slide in the slot of the drapery rod. Reference to the lug as extending rearwardly is not limited to lugs which are precisely horizontal but covers lugs in which the projection is generally rearward. The term notch is intended to cover any cord support above the level of the lug.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a slide for use with a slotted drapery rod having a cord for operating the slide, the combination comprising a back wall having runners for engaging the slot in the rod, a bottom wall joined continuously to the back wall to define a corner junction, a locking lug integrally formed and struck out of the back wall and bent downwardly substantially into the plane of the bottom wall, means defining notches on the back wall flanking said locking lug and located at a higher level so that the lug and notches confine a downward loop of cord projecting below the level of the bottom wall and having an entry portion and an exit portion extending generally parallel to one another, said lug being in the form of a T the arms of which overlie and hold captive the entry and exit portions of the loop of cord.

2. In a slide for use with a slotted drapery rod having a cord for operating the slide, the combination comprising a back wall having runners for engaging the slot in the rod, a bottom wall joined continuously to the back wall to define a corner junction, a locking lug anchored at the junction and extending rearwardly therefrom, means defining notches on the back wall flanking said locking lug and located at a higher level so that the lug and notches confine a downward loop of cord projecting below the level of the bottom wall and having an entry portion and an exit portion, said lug being in the form of a T with the arms of the T holding the entry and exit portions of the loop respectively captive.

3. In a slide for use with a slotted drapery rod having a cord for operating the slide, the combination comprising a back wall having runners for engaging the slot in the rod, a bottom wall joined continuously to the back wall to define a corner junction, a locking lug having a central leg and arms extending laterally therefrom, means defining notches on the back wall flanking said locking lug and located at a higher level so that the lug confines a downward loop of cord having an entry portion and an exit portion which run generally parallel to one another, said lug bein-g integrally formed from one of said walls and bent to extend rearwardly from the junction so that the entry and exit portions of the loop are held captive by the arms and so that the bottom of the loop extends below the level of the bottom wall for easy grasping by the fingertips for adjustment or release.

4. In a slide for use with a slotted drapery rod having a cord for operating the slide, the combination comprising a back wall having runners for engaging the slot in the. rod, a bottom wall joined continuously to the back wall to define a corner junction, a locking lu-g having a central leg providing relatively sharp "lateral edges, means defining notches on the back wall flanking said locking lug and located at a higher level so that the lug confines a downward loop of cord having an entry portion and an exit portion which run generally parallel to one another, said lug being integrally formed in one of said walls and bent to extend rearwardly from the junction and generally flush with the bottom wall so that the bottom of the loop extends below the level of the bottom wall in a position readily visible from the front of the slide and for easy grasping by the fingertips for adjustment or release.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner.

P. C. KANNIAN, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R 

